Revision as of 20:16, 17 October 2019

A guide to Twins

One of the only two weapons with infinite and high-frequency ammunition, Twins also happens to be one of the two plasma based turrets in the game. This unorthodox combination of traits grants it unique capabilities in Tanki Online that no other turrets have access to. The purpose of this guide is to define and explain these minute differences and changes, to aid a player in understanding how Twins can be used on the battlefield to the fullest extent.

History

Twins has been around for quite some time, being one of the first guns to be released int the game upon its opening. It was also quite the topic for debate before critical rebalance dates. At first, several tankers noticed that the knock back for Twins initially was much too high, barreling over even the heaviest of hulls with a continuous stream of shots. In the end, the developers addressed this problem, and dropped the impact force a significant amount. However, it still remained a cheap and effective gun, M3 only being 500 crystals at the time (this was before the currency rate was multiplied tenfold thanks to the rebalance). Several tankers were dissatisfied and wished for the impact force to be dropped even further, but their attempts were in vain, and Twins remained untouched for a considerable amount of time by updates. However, in place of decreased impact force, Twins had now acquired a hefty damage output per shot, performing more of an offensive role than an interference role.

In many cases, the Fear Machine (i.e. an ancient variant of Railgun) used to Twins in almost every single circumstance, but with the balance change rendering Twins more powerful in terms of raw damage, it now had enough power to successfully go toe-to-toe with the tyrannical turret of the time. The winning mechanic for Twins everywhere was their rapid and steady damage output, a unique characteristic at the time and making the weapon one of the top choices for hard-core supply users. Soon, it effectively replaced Rico as the "Drugger's Choice" weapon.

Statistics

Game play

Gameplay with this gun is based entirely on the speed of the hull you're using, but it can be quite the experience regardless of which is used. Most of the time, this gun is used in supplies games with a hull of gargantuan proportions, such as Titan or Mammoth. Under close ranged, minimal cover circumstances with all the supplies one can need active is where Twins can really shine. However, this isn't to say that it's completely ineffective within the boundaries of PRO Passed No supplies matches, and a skilled artisan of the weapon can turn the tide of a game one way or another. Thanks to its limitless ammunition stocks, the hull is the only item making a difference when one plays offensively, defensively, or trawls the midfield. Bear in mind that on many occasions, Twins will be outclassed as a midfielder on large maps thanks to its limited firing range and slower than average projectile speed.

Self-defense from Twins

If a player lets one of these machines get up close and personal, they may as well begin writing out their will, as attacking a Twins at point blank range is borderline suicide. In order to effectively survive an encounter with one, there needs to be a considerable amount of distance between you and your double-barreled foe. If it can't reach you, it can't do damage; this fact makes Shaft, Railgun, Smoky, Thunder, and even its steel-shelled cousin, Vulcan, make up this weapon's greatest adversaries.

Another method of survival is outmaneuvering a Twin's projectiles, since unlike Vulcan, bullets do not immediately impact, but instead drift through the air like a dandelion seed. This is one of their most dangerous flaws, since quick hulls like Wasp and Hornet have the potential to dodge many bullets from even moderately close ranges. The variation of projectile path can also be derived from the namesake of the weapon: its twin barrels, requiring constant changes in targeting if a player wishes for an accurate shot each time.

However, this also gives Twins its greatest asset: suppression. A wall of neon projectiles from one direction means that very little is going to get past it unscathed. In combat versus a skilled Twins user, a tanker will receive respectable damage regardless of what range they're at in Twins' damage spectrum, so the best form of prevention may also be the most passive: modules.

A quick note: should you happen to have the Urban-LGC (if you do, you're probably a bit too seasoned of a player to be reading this guide due to anything but wanton knowledge thirst), you have an incredibly valuable asset in having nearly 50% Twins resistance at a late M2 rank.

If you're akin to the standard population and can only rely on garage modules, though, your best bets are the Ursa and Lion family, as both work with Twins from acceptable ranges. Ursa T-D is great for a Twins user for its resistance to itself and some ranged weaponry, while Lion T-A is great for combating Twins, with not only Twins resistance, but a great deal of other close-ranged weaponry resistances applied. Proximity weapons aren't top pick when it comes to defending yourself from these fellows, as close ranged combat and vicnity sweeping is more or less their specialty, but a decent resistance can get a tank close enough to deal considerable damage with a high CDR (cumulative damage rate) weapon.

Offense with Twins

Though it may be tempting, plunging into the fight is not exactly the best way to use this gun. Granted, its suppression rate in fantastic for ranged and crowd control alike, so why shouldn't it be considered?

There's a pretty important reason for that: damage division. with each bullet spent on one enemy and then another, you're just dealing low damage to many foes, instead of dealing high damage to one foe. Situationally, the aforementioned tactic can be useful, but in most circumstances, there won't be enough damage output to injure everyone enough. It's wiser to just focus on one enemy at a time, finish them off, and then immediately lock onto the next imminent threat.

Another word of advice: Twins does not automatically translate to "equip to Titan". As a matter of fact, in a great deal of cases, Hornet/Twins or Wasp/Twins can be quite the pain in the stern to defend yourself from if they know how to aim. High speed, a cumulative damage output, and impact force to boot -- it's akin to a less damaging but more annoying version of Wasp/Firebird. Not only do they have the speed to be useful for more than defending, but they can also get themselves out of rocks and hard places involving other close ranged weapons by using their impact force while driving away to slow them down drastically.

A last, more obvious note: if you have a buddy with Twins as well, you're likely to be unstoppable on the field without any resistances. The greater the amount of suppression on a specific location, the more control that team has over the field. This is especially important in the event of a CTF.

For more information, check out the Pro's advice on Twins in the Tanki Online V-Log here.